Shoshana Aufzien says the mistreatment and harassment takes "a toll on your psyche."
She recently told The Christian Post in a report about the problems at Columbia and its affiliated Barnard Collage that she was studying for finals on May 7 in the university's Butler Library when she heard shouting. Numerous anti-Israel protestors then stormed in and took over the room.
Susan Tuchman, director of the Zionist Organization of America's Center for Law and Justice relays that Aufzien's classmates also refused to speak to her simply because she is Jewish and supports the Jewish state of Israel.
"Her classes were disrupted. Flyers were distributed during one of her classes depicting a boot pressing down on the Star of David," Tuchman reports. "There were justifications of the Hamas atrocities during the protests on the campuses."
Aufzien says she has also been doxed more times than she can count, but she does not seem to be cowed.
"Seemingly, she's been affected, but she's unafraid," observes Tuchman. "She's still going to speak up and be proud of her Jewish identity and her support for Israel."
She adds, though, that Aufzien is one of many students enduring this kind of hate and bigotry and being made to feel unwelcome and unsafe at the place where she is living and learning.
"That just should be intolerable to all of us," the litigator submits.
Officially, Columbia University "rejects antisemitism and all forms of harassment or discrimination."
In a statement, the university acknowledges that "antisemitism has occurred on our campus, and it has caused real pain for many members of our community. That is unacceptable, and Columbia is deeply committed to addressing it. We recognize there is still work to do to ensure a campus where every student — Jewish students included — can feel safe, valued, and respected."
President Donald Trump's administration recently announced that it had reached a deal with the university to address violations of federal civil rights laws and ensure student safety. Columbia agreed to pay the United States around $200 million to settle claims about discriminatory practices, reinstating most of its terminated federal grants.
